Really new biker need new advice

[Chriso]

Hi I am interested in getting into the riding scene instead of the driving scene. Curious what would be good for me, I am a little over 5'6 and am about 185, gonna try to get down to 175 soon. Im interested in getting a sports bike but I am afraid most of them do not fit me. I really want to get a bike where I could put both my feet down on the ground. for some reason I am really stern on having both my feet be able to reach the ground and I have tried to sit on a few bikes before at a store when my friend was buying a few things and most of the sports bikes were too tall for me. I was reading up on the ninja 250/hyosung 250. I was also curious if I am going to regret buying a 250 due to upgrading to a better bike. Is it okay to purchase a 600 right off the bat? Main reason I want to buy a bike is to save money on gas and also I live in california so I want to also be able to go through traffic smoother and get to work faster but im not sure if thats a good reason to get a bike as well. Is riding through traffic dangrous for bikers?

[RhadamYgg]

Buying a 250 isn't a mistake. Yeah, you'll probably end up upgrading. But it isn't wasted money.

I paid $2800 for my used Kawasaki Ninja 250... Rode it for like 10 months = 5300 miles - and sold it on ebaymotors for $2000.

The way I look at it - I rented the bike for $800 to learn to ride.

In some ways, I miss that bike. But then again, as I get more miles on my new bike, I get more comfortable with it.

RhadamYgg

[MTexile]

I'm not sure from reading your post, but have you ridden before? Got the feeling you haven't. You should take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) riders course. Am not sure but almost all states require riders to pass it in order to get your license. It covers the fundmentals of riding and in my case (13 year hiatus from motorcycles), a great refresher.
Once your done, get the Ninja. It's a solid, dependable ride to learn on. Do you have a friend who rides that can mentor you? When I say 'mentor', that means she or he helps you at your pace, not theirs...
P.S. Get about 200-300 miles under your belt on sparsely used roads before dealing with major traffic.

[dean owens]

holy mackerel rhadamygg, you went from a 250 to a b-king. i bet that's a learning curve.

OP: you won't regret starting smaller. and trust me, a 250 isn't that small. you can break the law on a 250. and you will learn better on a bike that doesn't scare you rather than one that takes more skill to learn on. and if one of your main reasons is to save on gas and be able to get through traffic better a smaller bike will help you more than a larger bike.

and as mtexile mentioned, find a basic riders course. you'll probably have to wait a while to get into one. if that's the case look for one at a harley dealership. for me (in nc) it was twice as much to take it at the harley dealership but i was able to get in in two weeks verses 3.5 months. it was worth it to me.

oh, and i'm short. i would love to be able to flatfoot but i've yet to be able to unless it was a cruiser. if you look around, you might be able to lower the particular bike you're looking at.

good luck.

[Lion_Lady]

... Main reason I want to buy a bike is to save money on gas and also I live in california so I want to also be able to go through traffic smoother and get to work faster but im not sure if thats a good reason to get a bike as well. Is riding through traffic dangrous for bikers?

"To save money" is not a good reason to get into motorcycling. You'll get better gas mileage, BUT on a sportbike insurance is far higher. Try $1200 to $2400 a YEAR - depending on what bike you choose! Tires: Motorcycle tires generally run about $300 for a pair - and you'll be replacing them every 10,000 miles at the least. Maintenance: oil changes often run $60 on a motorcycle. Other basic stuff around that. Learn to do your own, or be at the shop's mercy.

Protective gear: Don't expect to spend any less than $500 on full gear - and that is by shopping patiently and carefully. Full face helmet, full fingered gloves, boots, armored jacket and pants.

Being able to get through traffic more smoothly (ie filtering) definitely has its risks:

Full Contact Commuting" (from Sport-touring.net)
So I am on my way to work today (on the bike) its started out as a good day, made it from the house to 35 and didn’t have to stop for a light (savings of time 10-15 mins) So I get up on 35 and putter a long at 60-65 mph no need to speed just save a bunch of time. Traffic is so so.. as I get up to my exit to get on 20. The woman in a Camry, who I have been watching the past few miles run in and out of traffic like a nut. No blinkers, pushing cars out of the way and cutting cars off with inches to spar. Is now two cars a head of me.

I think to myself I will just let her take off when we are on 20 so I do not have to deal with her. So we get on 20 and she is back to her old habits and I just let her go. Traffic is light on 20 so I get in the left lane and run it up to 70-75. As I am running my 5 mile run on 20 to 75 I still see Mr Camry trying to drive like she is in nascar and Is running people out of there lane and missing them by inches.. Still no blinkers or anything no one has a clue what or where she is going. Everyone who can has back way off from her. I am getting to the point where I have to leave the left lane and get to the right to get on 45. As I do this I am looking for the camry as to not get in her way but she has been stuck behind 2 18 wheelers and I clear to go on my way.

As I come up to the off on ramp for 45 guess who runs up next to me just at the last sec. yep the Camry, She proceeds to push me out of the way and take my spot. I grab some brake and just fall in behind her, (I kind of have expected it form her) I flash the high beam at her and a little honk of the horn. With a shake of the head I thought that would be that.

Now is where thing get real interesting real fast, as we get on 45 I make up my mind I am just going to bug out of there and leave her behind me. I bust up to 80 and thought I left her in the traffic. No less then a mile down the road she is right beside me with her window down just giving me the look from hell. Now I am in the left lane so I grab some brake so I have a way out and let her back in front of me so I do not have to deal with her. She jumps into my lane and slams on the brakes.. I shift over the middle lane and go by no big deal but I am looking for a way out. This woman is nuts.. traffic is starting to get heavy so there is not much of a options, I am looking for something to get between us. But before I do she is right back with me and pushes me out of the lane. I slow down and she is in front of me, before I can do anything she starts tossing crap out the window at me, a huge cup of HOT coffee is the first thing, as I shift lanes and move back into the left lane, out come full things of water at me, as they hit the ground the would pop with a splash. And I knew if she got a lucky shot that would of hurt more then the coffee buns.

AS I am dogging the water bombs and looking for a fast way out of there. Two cars came to rescue me they got on her left side and honk to distract her (she launch some water that them) when she did that I got back in behind her and for the best protection for the water. As we were getting closer to downtown traffic was starting to stop and I was not sure what I was going to do. The guy in the truck on her left pointed at me and pointed between them (lane splitting was my only option to get out of there and I was working my in the lain to do that when he told me to go)

As I got set her up for a pass on the right I was in the left side acting like that’s the way I was going to she was crowding the line just as she was not looking I jumped to the right and blasted by her, (taking a little something so she can remember me by), So now I am splitting lanes up 45 with this mirror in my lap. Lol. (ya I know bad chris)

So traffic opens up and I fall back into the center lane. Just then a guy on a bussa who was splitting the left side of the center lane came up next to me, I have seen the guy the past few days coming into work so I give him a wave, he points back shaking his head. I just shrug and shake my head.. Just as we are about to take off and he holds up something.. (if you are drinking swallow before going on.. ) AS I am sitting there trying to figure out what he has in is hand it hits me it a mirror.. The same as the one in my lap. I almost lost it... I didn’t happen to see him behind me when the whole thing started and, when I went left he went right and took the mirror off seconds behind me..

So for the woman in the Camry I am sorry that was childish of me, I left your mirror at the exit of 45 and MLK. I am not sure where your other one is.. As far as the bussa rider way to go.. and a special thanks to the two guys in the blocking auto that help me get the heck out of there..

I wonder what the ride home will be like????

>>My suggestion is that you take a Basic Riders Course before making any other decisions.

[RhadamYgg]

holy mackerel rhadamygg, you went from a 250 to a b-king. i bet that's a learning curve.

It was and is a steep learning curve. But I'm getting used to it. I did drop it twice - at a standstill. I felt like such a noob.

It has scratches and stuff but it isn't such a bad thing. I don't look forward to actually being motivated to find out how much it will cost to fix though.

RhadamYgg

[Brackstone]

I liked that story LL

Thank you for sharing.

[RhadamYgg]

Nice, story - I haven't encountered anything remotely like that.

[kayanat]

Hi as a new biker i would like to know if a 1970 Honda cl 350 is a good beginner bike?

[NNYrider]

I'll add my two cents........

1) Take the MSf course. Just do it. Your confidence level should be several orders higher after the course, and bikes that feel 'scary' now will feel somewhat better then. You may find you like certain bikes you would not have considered previousy.

2) If you ar lucky you may be able to do the course on a lil Ninja, and obtain a first hand idea about the bike.

3) Will you "outgrow" a ninja? Hard to tell. It will depend more on you than on the bike. However, which is cheaper?: Buying a $1500 used ninja, running it for a year and then loosing $300 when you trade up OR buying a really big bike and wrecking it???

4) There are other novice appropriate bikes that are somewhat bigger. Look at the 500 cc Ninja, Suzuki's GS500, and the SV650. All are decent bikes. None, however, will seem "low". By their nature sport bikes are tall bikes. Flat-footing them is a challenge for most. These bikes are taller for increased ground clearance (when cornering hard). You can lower them, but the issue is then increased likelihood of dragging metal bits... If these all seem too tall, I'd recommend you consider a different style of bike (standard) until the sporties seem comfortable. There is no one right bike for everyone. The right bike for you is the one you feel comfrotable on...

If you do consider a cruiser styled bike, look at Suzuki's S40. It is probably one of the best set up novice bikes I am aware of. I like it enough I bought one for Mrs. NNYrider for mothers day, and I really wish I had a fleet of them for the MSF Basic Rider Course. Probably the easiest handling, light, short bike I can think of...